GB govt intends to utilize all resources to promote Babusar festival
DIAMER, Jul 14 (APP): To bring Babusar Polo festival at par with Shandur festival, the Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) government is planning to utilize all available resources efficiently.
The decision came after the GB government decided to pull its team out of the Shandur festival, following a boundary dispute between it and Khyber Pakhtoonkha.
“After boycotting the Shandur festival, it has become the prime responsibility of the government to promote Babusar festival,” said Deputy Commissioner (DC) Subtain Ahmad while chairing a meeting here Wednesday, to overview the arrangements made for the festival.
It is pertinent to mention that Babusar event is fast becoming a permanent fixture in GB sports calendar. The festival has been taking place, in August every year, since 2007. A free-style polo tournament is played at 13,812 feet above sea level at Babusar Pass which attracts a large number of polo lovers along with tourists.
The main features of the festival, other than polo, include tent-pegging, tug of war, photo exhibition, paragliding, gemstone and handicrafts exhibition, trekking, horse riding and camp fires.
The DC has directed the district administration to make Babusar accessible for the tourists, as roads are often blocked by heavy snowfall in winter and remain closed till September.
He mentioned that the Babusar-Chilas road would be opened for traffic in a day or two.
